USDA Beef Ratings...What do they mean????

There is always a lot of confusion regarding the different USDA ratings of beef. You've got Prime, Choice, Select grades of beef. And depending on who you talk to, there are a dozen more. But here is the low-down from the source.

USDA Prime Graded Beef. The Most Tender & Flavorful of Steaks

Why USDA Prime Steaks Are Superior.

Anyone that has savored a USDA Prime Graded Steak knows that it is delightfully tender and juicy with a buttery flavor that makes it distinctively superior to any other steak. Of all the beef produced in the US, less than 2% is certified as USDA Prime. Typically you will not find USDA Prime in the supermarkets since its limited supply is gobbled up by fine meat purveyors that retail it to upscale restaurants and affluent consumers.

How The USDA Grades Beef.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) meticulously grades beef at the request of a meat packer. Only beef that is USDA inspected may carry the USDA shield of authenticity. The grading system determines the quality rating of beef based upon a very complicated inspection system which essentially measures the amount of marbling (fat specs) in the ribeye muscle (lean) portion and combines the maturity (age) of the beef carcass to arrive at the inspected grade quality.

Basically the higher the ratio of marbling and the younger the beef, the higher the grade. It is the fat marbling that determines tenderness, juiciness and flavor. The age of the beef determines beef texture and also effects flavor. Younger beef produces a finer texture and a lighter red color.

Therefore USDA Prime Grade has the highest rating of a combined high ratio of marbling with the youngest maturity of beef. That's why prime is the most flavorful and most tender with the finest of texture.

USDA Prime, Choice and Select Grades.

Although there are eight levels of USGA graded beef there are generally only three USDA grades of beef that you would buy in a supermarket, a butcher shop or a restaurant. They are USDA Prime, Choice or Select which is the order of grade from the highest to lowest. Two lesser grades are Cutter and Canner which is what you would typically find in frozen pot pie dinners, microwave burritos, hamburgers and other processed food products. USDA Select is not very far above the bottom of the edible barrel, though some major chain stores will try and infer to a consumer that Select is a premium grade that is often marketed with a "catchy brand".

Beware of marketing deceptions where some supermarkets may try to fool an unsuspecting consumer by using the words "prime" and "choice" without being attached with the official "USDA shield". Unless prime and choice carries the USDA label, what you are buying may not be the real thing. Some upscale restaurants employ clever wordsmiths to write menu copy that deceives you into thinking you are ordering a USDA Prime Steak when in reality you may be being served the less costly "Choice" version. In fairness to restaurants that serve USDA Choice Filets, it's degree of marbling could closely approach that of Prime when the measurement is very near the threshold that separates it from Prime.

When shopping for quality steaks, always look for the USDA shield. When ordering a steak at a restaurant always ask your server what the USDA grade actually is. Often you'll hear a bit of stuttering and a quick diversion from the subject. That's a signal to become more inquisitive.


USDA Prime Steaks.

USDA Prime is the superior grade with amazing tenderness, juiciness, flavor and fine texture. It has the highest degree of fat marbling and is derived from the younger beef. That's why Prime is generally featured at the most exclusive upscale steakhouse restaurants.

Used by permission of the USDA


USDA Choice Steaks.

USDA Choice is the second highest graded beef. It has less fat marbling than Prime. Choice is a quality steak particularly if it is a cut that is derived from the loin and rib areas of the beef such as a tenderloin filet or rib steak. Generally USDA Choice will be less tender, juicy and flavorful with a slightly more coarse texture versus Prime.

Used by permission of the USDA


USDA Select Steaks.

USDA Select is generally the lowest grade of steak you will find at a supermarket or restaurant. You will find it tougher, less juicy and less flavorful since it is leaner that Prime and Choice with very little marbling. The texture of Select is generally more coarse. Therefore, Select is not nearly as enjoyable or desirable.

Used by permission of the USDA


The Finer Details of the USDA Grading System.

The above description of how beef is graded by the USDA is basic overview. For more detail of exactly how a beef certifier measures marbling, maturity of the beef, the color of beef and its texture to determine an accurate USDA Grade, read the United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef established by the US Department of Agriculture.

The Stock Yards. The Leading Supplier of USDA Prime.

This page is sponsored by Stock Yards located in Chicago as it celebrates over 100 years of providing USDA Prime Steaks across the country to the finest steakhouse restaurants. The Stock Yards also sells USDA Prime and Choice Beef to directly to steak-lovers. The Stock Yards is proud of its outstanding reputation for excellence as a provider of the World's Finest Steaks and Chops. Click here to read more about the Stock Yards.

OK so there you have it. Simplified down to 3 classifications that really matter. There are a total of 8 grades, so if you really want to know here they are:

Prime
Has abundant marbling and is generally sold in restaurants and hotels. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for roasting, broiling, and grilling (dry heat methods).

Choice 
Has less marbling than Prime grades, but is still high quality. May be cooked with dry heat. Be careful not to over cook roasts from rump, round, and blade chuck. A meat thermometer can be helpful in cooking to a safe temperature.

Select
Leaner than the higher grades. Fairly tender but may lack some juiciness and flavor of higher grades. Only the loin, ribs, and sirloin should be cooked with dry heat Other cuts should be marinated before cooking or cooked with moisture.

Standard
Has no marbling. Will lack juiciness and flavor of higher grades. May be sold as ungraded or "store brand" meat.

Commercial 
May have marbling, but comes from a more mature animal and will lack tenderness. May be sold as ungraded or "store brand" meat.

Utility, Cutter,Canner
Meat from mature animals which lacks marbling. Usually only sold as ground beef or processed meat.

I hope this clears up any confusion that some of you may have had.

I want to thank Prime Steakhouses.com for this information. You can read more about this topic on their website at:  http://www.primesteakhouses.com/how-usda-grades-beef.html

Until next time....

Types of Beef - Article

Types of Beef

Courtesy of Beef Food Service.com

Beef Choices

Cattle farmers and ranchers use resources available in their area to raise cattle in a variety of ways to provide beef choices consumers see in grocery stores and at restaurants. There are more than 1 million beef farmers and ranchers throughout the United States who offer a variety of beef choices to meet the changing lifestyles of consumers, including grain-fed, grass-finished, certified organic and natural beef.

While each kind of beef offers specific value to consumers, all beef is safe and nutritious. Beef goes through a rigorous inspection process and is subject to strict government guidelines to ensure the highest levels of safety. Today’s lean beef is one of the most flavorful and efficient ways to meet the daily value for 10 essential nutrients like iron, zinc and B vitamins. There are 29 different steak, roast and ground beef choices that meet U.S. government guidelines for lean.

Grain-Fed Beef

Grain-fed beef is the most widely produced beef in the United States. Grain-fed cattle spend most of their lives grazing pasture before moving to a feedlot for approximately four to six months where they are fed a carefully balanced diet that usually includes grain. Feeding cattle a grain-based ration for a small period of time helps improve meat quality and provide a more tender and juicy product for consumers.

While cattle are in feedlots, owners and managers ensure they have a balanced diet; access to clean water; room to grow and roam; and overall, humane treatment. To help improve their productivity, grain-fed cattle may receive growth promotants that have been rigorously tested and proven safe.

Natural Beef and Naturally Raised

By government definition, most beef is natural. According to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), “natural” may be used on a label for meat if it does not contain any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring ingredient, chemical preservative or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient, and the product and its ingredients are not more than minimally processed. This definition only applies to how the meat was processed after the cattle were harvested and does not apply to how the animals were raised.

Marketers also have been applying the term “natural” to beef labels based on how the animals were raised. In January 2009, USDA published a voluntary standard for “naturally raised” livestock that allows for third-party verification of these claims (Federal Register: Vol. 74, Num. 12).

• Beef with a USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)-certified “naturally raised” claim comes from cattle that have never received growth promotants or supplemental hormones, have never been administered antibiotics and were not fed animal by-products.
   

Grass (Forage) Fed or Grass-Finished

Similar to “naturally raised” beef, grass-finished beef refers to how the cattle were managed prior to harvest and specifically, to the type of diet the cattle consumed. While most cattle spend the majority of their lives in pastures eating grass before moving to a feedlot for grain-finishing, grass-finished beef cattle remain on a pasture and forage diet their entire lives.

In October 2007, USDA published standards that give beef farmers and ranchers specific guidelines about the type of diet acceptable for cattle qualifying for the “grass (forage) fed” marketing claim.

• Grass and forage should make up the animal’s diet for its entire lifetime, with the exception of milk consumed prior to weaning.
• It is difficult to produce large quantities of grass-finished beef on a year-round basis due to seasonality. For this reason, grass-finished beef can be more expensive, and some grass-finished beef sold in the United States may be imported from countries with more temperate climates.

Grass-finished beef may have a slightly different fatty acid profile than grain-fed beef; however, the difference is not significant. Grass-finished beef can contain more conjugated lineoleic acid (CLA) than other kinds of beef, but research has not determined whether this results in a significant health benefit. Research also has shown that a 3.5-ounce serving of grass-finished beef offers 15 milligrams more omega-3 than other kinds of beef; however, beef is not a primary source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Certified Organic

Beef labeled as “certified organic” must be from cattle that meet USDA National Organic Program (NOP) livestock production requirements. Grain-fed beef, naturally raised or grass-finished beef may be eligible for USDA’s NOP certification if the additional requirements are met.

The Organic Foods Production Act, effective October 2002, sets the standards for all food labeled organic:  http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/FactSheets/ProdHandE.html 
For beef, this means:

• Cattle must be fed certified organic feed but may be given certain vitamin and minerals.
• Organically raised cattle may not be given growth promotants or receive antibiotics. Any animal that is treated with antibiotics to ensure its health must be removed from the NOP.

Organically raised cattle must have access to pasture – they may be temporarily confined for specific reasons. However, most cattle in the United States, regardless of how they are raised, meet this criterion.

Until next time....

My good friend Perry Perkins of Burning Love BBQ - The Blog wrote this great article about making your BBQ better. He gave me the OK to reblog his post on my blog. I just had to share this with you.

To read more of Perry's blogs, which I highly recommend, you can visit his blog site at: http://burninlovebbq.wordpress.com/.

Thanks again Perry.

4 Tips for Better Barbeque

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Taking your Grill-Skill from Tragic to Magic
4 Foundational Tips for Better Barbeque

We’ve all see it…the flaming hot dog, the carbon-crusted hockey-puck that was once a hamburger patty, the black-on-the-outside, frozen-in-the-middle steak that comes off the grill like saddle leather, only with less flavor…

I mean, how hard can it be?

MEAT + FIRE = GOOD…right?

So why do so many well-intentioned grillers turn so much good meat into bad food?

Conversely, what do those smug bastards with their instant-read thermometers, and monogrammed aprons know that WE don’t?

What’s the secret?

Well, like many mysteries in life, there is no one secret to good barbeque*, but rather a number of simple skills that some people are taught, and others aren’t. Like almost everything else, no one is born with the ability to grill great food. It’s a learned skill.

So…let’s do some learnin’!

While there are innumerable tips and tricks that you can (and likely will) learn as you spend more time at the grill, more hours pouring over cookbooks and food Network shows, and more of Junior’s inheritance on shiny new grills and monogrammed aprons, for now, lets look at four very simple, yet foundational principles that can take your grill-skill from tragic to magic, quickly…and without cost.

Just a side note – none of these tips are about the price of the meat. Grilling and, to a greater extent, barbeque, is all about taking the cheap (and sometimes throw-away) cuts, and making them not just edible, but incredible. You don’t need to serve $30-a-steak rib-eyes, or fresh Maine lobster-tails, to make a great meal on the grill…watch and see.

(*Just a note: I know, I know…grilling isn’t barbeque, and barbeque isn’t grilling. However, for the purpose of this article, I’m not going to get into the whole gas vs. briquettes vs. lump coal vs. hardwood vs. smoker vs. hide-lashed caribou-bone grilling platforms – debate. You’ll get there soon enough, or, if you have an extra month…Google it. For this article, the terms “grilling” and “barbeque” are going to be interchangeable and used specifically whenever I feel like it. Hate me if you must…you won’t be the first.)

1. Down to the Briny Depths with ye, Turkey!  

In cooking, brining is a process similar to marinating, in which meat is soaked in brine before cooking. Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and  by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. (Thank you, Wikipedia!)

How long to brine depends on the size and type of meat you’ve got. Larger meats like a whole turkey need more time for the brine to do its magic. Small pieces of seafood like shrimp shouldn’t sit in a brine for more than half an hour, or so.  Be sure not to brine meats that have already been brined before you buy them, such as “extra-tender” pork, which has been treated with sodium phosphate and water to make it juicier.

Meats that improve on the grill with a good brine:

Chicken & turkey (whole or cut)
Rabbit (or any non-red game meat)
Pork (especially boneless picnic ribs)
Salmon

Fatty meats like beef and lamb are generally not improved by brining.

My basic brine = 1 cup coarse Kosher or sea salt + 1 cup sugar (white or brown) + 1 gallon purified water.

Bring water to a high simmer, add salt and sugar to dissolve, and allow to cool to room temp before adding the meat. You can increase or decrease the amount of brine, as long as you have enough to completely submerse the meat, by modifying the brine ingredients in these proportions.

How much brine do you need?

Here’s a tip: put your meat in the container you’re going to soak it in, and fill it with purified water until completely covered. Remove the meat, and use this water to make your brine. Clever, huh?

One caveat with brining is that whatever you put the meat in, needs to fit in your refrigerator or cooler. Both the meat and brine need to stay below 40F at all times. This isn’t a big deal with a couple of pork chops, but can present some logistical headaches when you’re roasting half-a-dozen turkeys, as I did last Thanksgiving.  In this case, you’re best bet is to sterilize a cooler that’s big enough to fit the meat, brine, and a couple of bags of ice.

General Brining Times

Whole Chicken, Salmon fillets                  4 to 12 hours
Chicken Pieces, Pork Chops                       1 to 1 1/2 hours
Whole Turkey or Pork Shoulder               24 hours
Turkey Breast, Rabbit                                   5 to 8 hours
Cornish Game Hens                                        1 to 2 hours

The beauty of a good brine is you can add whatever you want to it! I often add quartered lemons and chopped garlic to my whole chicken brine, and Chinese 5 Spice to my pork brine. The best flavored brines are often the simplest…citrus juice and dried mint will add a nice Mediterranean flavor to chicken, while cracked black pepper and red wine vinegar provide a rich French flair.

Having said that, the best turkey I’ve ever eaten was roasted by my Burnin’ Love BBQ partner Terry Ramsey, using Alton Brown’s ingredient-heavy brine from his Good Eats Roast Turkey recipe. That was some next-level bird, brutha!

After brining, always rinse your meat and dry it well before cooking. Otherwise, your dinner is going to be super salty, likewise, don’t salt the meat before, during, or after cooking, nor any sauces or gravies you make with the residual broth (which, btw, is freakin’ awesome.)

Lastly, make sure to keep a close eye when grilling meats that have been brined. Brining adds sugar to the meat and can cause it to burn faster, another reason to use a 2-step grilling method.

Which segues nicely into…

2. Direct vs. Indirect: Knowing when to Move Your Butt

What is the difference between grilling over “direct” and “indirect” heat?

Well, it’s pretty much what it sounds like:

Direct grilling = the food is cooked “directly” over an even heat source. Most experts will tell you that type of grilling really works best for foods that take less than 20 minutes to cook, such as steaks, chops, boneless chicken breasts, burgers and hot dogs.

Personally, except for maybe the burgers and dogs, I think that direct grilling is nearly always the ‘Step 1″ in the a 2-Step process, used to seal the meat and make those beautiful charred grill marks. Typically, I would then move the meat to indirect heat to finish cooking.  For example, a 2-inch-thick steak, or a well brined chicken breast, can be seared or browned over direct heat for a short period of time, and then moved to the indirect heat area to continue cooking internally without burning.

Indirect grilling = foods are not cooked directly over the heat. With charcoal grilling, the hot coals are moved or “banked” to opposite sides of the grill, this is known as a 2-Zone Fire (here’s a post on how to set up a 2-Zone Fire).  Often a drip pan with water, beer, or juice is placed on the bare grate, below the meat.

When grilling with gas, the burners are all pre-heated, and then one or more are turned off and the meat is placed directly over the “off’ burners.  I do with this chunks of meat as large as pork shoulders (aka Boston Butt) to sear the outside and seal in all the yummy juices.

Take a look at my “Butts on the Grill” recipe (“move you butt” – get it?) for more.

Again, I believe that indirect heat is best used for finishing foods that need to be cooked for a longer time like roasts, whole poultry, ribs and other large cuts of meat. Except for fish and shellfish, if a piece of meat is too thin to grill over direct heat first, it probably shouldn’t be cooked on the grill at all.

Lastly, never take a piece of meat off the grill when it looks done. By then, it’s too late. The time to plate your entrée is a couple of minutes before it’s done. The external heat will continue to cook the insides to meaty perfection. This is especially true of thin meats like hamburger patties.

3. Know when to get Saucy

Many grillers, myself included, either eschew sauce altogether, or serve it on the side.

Too often, all we taste in our bbq is bbq sauce, and I want to enjoy that wonderful flavor of grilled meat! Also, sauce is probably the #1 leading culprit in burned bbq. Many folks don’t realize how much sugar there is in a typical bbq sauce, nor how quickly those sugars will caramelize, and then burn.

The one meat that I do invariably sauce is chicken. I especially like a nice, sticky bbq or teriyaki sauce on a big mess of grilled chicken legs and thighs (in fact, one of my favorite recipes, Lazy Chicken, is included in the Multi-Zone Fire post that I linked to, above.)

The same goes for pork. Beef – not so much. Of course, this is a matter of personal opinion, not religious doctrine, so, to paraphrase one of my favorite foodie personalities, “If it tastes good…sauce it!”

If you do want to sauce your chicken, turkey, or pork, you’ll do it towards the end of the cooking time, and do so after you’ve moved the meat to indirect heat, otherwise you run the risk of the sugars in the sauce burning. One exception to this rule (and of course there’s an exception), is when I’m “finishing” slow roasted ribs. Once they come out of the smoker (or oven), I like to sauce them thinly, and slap them down directly over hot coals for a few seconds, flip, and repeat the process 4-5 times. This layering of charring and saucing, over and over, creates an amazing and complex depth of flavor.

BTW – I do like a good sauce, I’m just a “serve it on the side” kinda guy.

4. Letting your Meat…Loaf

Have you ever gotten a steak or a chicken breast right off the grill, cut into it with asharp knife, and had a gush of hot, steamy juices pour out onto your plate?

Me too.

Did you notice, a few minutes later, that that lovely, juicy piece of glorious cow had turned into sawdust?

Me too.

Once meat is removed from the heat, it’s vital that it be allowed to “rest”, tented loosely in foil. Resting allows the meat to relax and reabsorb its own juices back into the muscle fibers, as they cool. If you cut into that same steak or chicken breast after its rested under a foil tent for 5-10 minutes, you’ll see those same juices bead up on the surface of the meat, but not pour out of you plate. This means that the whole cut is going to stay moist.

With small cuts like steaks and chops, I think that just a few minutes (5-10) is sufficient.

Some larger cuts of meat, like pork shoulders, leg of lamb, or beef brisket, require foiling or wrapping tightly in foil, and coolering for a longer length of time. This allows the internal temp to rise the last few degrees without any additional heat, without the outside of the meat overcooking.

Here are some good general resting times:

Pork shoulders (Butts), & Brisket                                2 Hours
Whole Turkey, Lg Roasts                                                30 minutes
Smaller roasts, Whole Chickens, Turkey breasts  10 – 15 minutes
Steaks, Chops, Chicken Breasts                                     5 – 10 minutes

Always tent the meat loosely in foil to keep the surface temperature from dropping much faster than the internal temp. This can lead to drying, as well.

Oh, and while those steaks are resting…toss some chopped shallots, a cup of Merlot, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and a teaspoon of chopped garlic into a skillet and simmer. Add any drippings from the steak plate, as well, then pour a couple of tablespoons over each steak, just before serving. (You’ll thank me.)

Okay, so that’s it…

1.     BRINE YOUR MEAT
2.     KNOW YOUR HEAT
3.     SAUCE WHEN BEST
4.     LET IT REST

Try these four simple steps and I guarantee that you will see an instant, and significant improvement in your ‘Que. No more wiener flambé, carbonized steaks, or particle-board chicken.

Clear your calendar, you are about to become the grill-god of your family/neighborhood/ office/church.

Welcome to the club…here’s your apron.

-Perry